Filtered exhaust system for commode

ABSTRACT

The apparatus of the present invention relates to exhausting noxious odors from the vicinity of a toilet. The invention comprises a means of taking in air from the vicinity of the toilet, a filter, and a means of inducing the air flow. The air is taken in by said means of taking in air, passed on to and through the filter, and then passed on to the means of inducing air flow. The air is then discharged from the system. The filter is separate and unitary and can be easily installed and removed without exposure of the filtering matrix within the filter. The contaminants entering the filter, i.e. bacteria and viruses, are killed and odorous gases are trapped in the filter. The person changing the filter is therefore not exposed to the possibility and vulgarity of contact with contaminants entrapped within a used filter when the change of the filter is needed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an improved apparatus for exhaustingnoxious odors from the vicinity of a toilet commode during use, whereinan air vacuum system is incorporated into the commode seat, featuring afiltered hose which is easily removable and replaceable for treating theremoved air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention addressed an age-old problem that has plagued mankindsince the first indoor bathroom experience, namely the problem ofdealing with noxious odors around the commode. Even though the bathroomexperience is often a brief one, it is still unpleasant as the odorsinherently created while using the bathroom are unpleasant for mostpeople, and severely unpleasant for some. The problem is also compoundedby the fact that bathrooms are frequently small, which serves toconcentrate the odors in a very small area. In addition, unpleasantodors are also a problem in public restrooms, and bathroom usersgenerally have even less tolerance for odors created by others in apublic setting than they do in their own home. Accordingly, manyinventors have developed devices for arresting and/or containing odorsfrom the vicinity of a bathroom commode.

One means of addressing the above stated problem is to utilize a vacuumsystem incorporated into the commode, or more specifically the commodeseat. Numerous U.S. Patents have set forth vacuum based odor removalsystems in a variety of configurations as will be discussed in the nextsection. Many of these systems feature a hollow seat structure withopenings oriented above the bowl portion of the commode seat andoriented to face downward toward the bowl. The hollow seat is furtheroutfitted with a vacuum hose and a means for creating a suction. Thesuction means creates a current for removing the foul air from thehollow interior of the commode seat to a secondary location such asoutside of the bathroom or into a filter box. The removed air may thenbe filtered, scented, or simply diluted.

Despite the fact that odor removing vacuum systems have existed foryears, they have not achieved widespread use and appeal. This is becausemany of the systems are so cumbersome and complicated that they areawkward for the user or simply cost prohibitive. It is very importantthat a vacuum system for the commode be both simple and durable in orderto be economically feasible. In addition, it is important that the odorremoving be accomplished without the need to redesign the entirebathroom. In order to be economically practical, the entire unit shouldbe available as a retrofit for existing commodes, and it should besimple enough for an average unskilled consumer to install withoutspecial tools or construction knowledge.

Another significant problem for odor removing systems is the effectivedischarge or filtering of the removed air. Many prior art systemsincorporate the use of a charcoal filter system located in a filter boxdownstream of a fan or other vacuum generation means. However, changinga charcoal filter in such a system is a very undesirable chore. Peoplewill generally not want to touch or disturb the filter. In addition, ifthe vacuum system is installed in a public restroom, it will benecessary for janitorial employees to change and handle any filter usedin the system. Given that some human diseases may be transmitted bygaseous emissions (such as hepatitis), the filter must be treated as abio-hazard and be carefully removed. For this reason, it is importantthat a vacuum system for a commode incorporate a filtering means that iseasy to replace and does not require someone to touch or handle a usedfilter with his or her hands.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Among the prior art patents which are pertinent to this invention, U.S.Pat. No. 5,671,484 by Robert Lee, III, is noted. Lee discloses a systemcomprised of a toilet seat constructed with an odor correction channelformed therein in gaseous communication with an odor correction hosewhich leads to a box-shaped housing. The housing is designed to bemounted or otherwise placed in the floor near the commode, and thehousing includes a fan with a motor housed therein. The inventor statesthat the fan is adapted to transfer air with unpleasant odors throughthe housing and into a replaceable charcoal filter disposed within thehousing. The system may further include a scenting means for masking theunpleasant odors contained in the evacuated air, and the scenting meansmay also be powered using the same circuit that powers the fan in thehousing. Although the Lee device is very useful, it also features somesignificant drawbacks. Specifically, the location and use of a charcoalfilter inside a fan housing is not optimum. Changing the filter will becumbersome and require an individual to come into physical contact withthe used filter. Furthermore, since the location of the filter isdownstream of the fan, the fan blades will be fouled by the unpleasantair stream making it unpleasant during a filter changing operation.Similar systems may also be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,553 by Loewenet al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,324 by Bianco.

Rather than filtering the removed air, some of the prior art devicesfeature transporting the foul air to a location outside the room or to aceiling fan for discharge outside of the room. U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,536by Prisco, U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,472 by Eger and U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,506by Pearson detail such a system. However, installation of a system likethis requires more extensive construction costs than many homeownerswill endure.

Another novel approach is taken in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,940 by Buchanan.In this patent, the noxious air, which will generally includecombustible gases, is fed to an incinerator located in the bathroom nearthe commode. While certainly novel, the use of an incineration devicenext to the commode will not be acceptable to many consumers.

Many prior art patents feature the variation that once the foul air isremoved from the vicinity of the commode seat, it is placed into thewater tank portion of the commode for further treatment. Some of thesesystems include air fresheners, filters or other such treatment stepscontained within the water tank. These include U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,534B2 by Stone, U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,837 B1 by Guess, Sr., U.S. Pat. No.5,369,810 by Warren, U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,539 by Poirer et al., U.S. Pat.No. 5,718,005 by Ng, U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,250 by Valarao, U.S. Pat. No.5,231,705 by Ragusa, as well as others. While many of these systems areimpressive, utilizing these systems requires replacing or severelyaltering the water tank of the commode. This compromises or eliminatesthe use of the system in a retrofit manner, as many conventional watertanks for commodes cannot be easily adapted to incorporate these odorremoving and filtering systems. Accordingly, the utility of water basedtank systems is reduced.

For many prior art systems, automated switching features or high techfilters are incorporated. Although novel, these systems are even fartherremoved from the present invention as it is a key goal of the presentinvention to construct an odor removing vacuum system that is simple,inexpensive, easy to install and easy to handle. None of the prior artpatents adequately accomplish these goals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus of the present invention relates to exhausting noxiousodors from the vicinity of a toilet. The invention comprises a means oftaking in air from the vicinity of the toilet, a filter, and a means ofinducing the air flow. The air is taken in by said means of taking inair, passed on to and through the filter, and then passed on to themeans of inducing air flow. The air is then discharged from the system.

This arrangement results in air that is filtered before passing into theremaining working parts of the system. This prevents any fan or blowerand related hosing and circuitry from being contaminated by the noxiousair drawn from the commode. The apparatus uses a filter which isunitized separate from the collection and flow inducement, which makesit easily serviced and contained for sanitary purposes. The filter unitcan be easily changed without any contact or undue exposure to thefiltering matrix within the filter unit.

As discussed above, the device of the present invention overcomes thedisadvantages inherent in prior art methods and devices. In thisrespect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention indetail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and to the arrangement of thecomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understoodthat the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purposeof description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Accordingly those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this invention is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor the design of other structures, methods and systems for carrying outthe several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit of thepresent invention.

Furthermore, the purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especiallyincluding the practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patentsor legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursoryinspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of theapplication. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention ofthe application, nor is it intended to be limiting to the scope of theinvention in any way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional utility and features of the invention will become more fullyapparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the followingdrawings, which illustrate the primary features of the preferredembodiment.

FIG. 1 shows the odor collection and filtering apparatus of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a possible interchangeable filter.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a possible interchangeable filter.

FIG. 4 shows the detachable aspect of the filter.

FIG. 5 shows a partially hollow toilet seat for noxious air induction.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a the partially hollow toilet seat.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the seat perpendicular to thecircumference of the seat.

FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the seat perpendicular to thecircumference of the seat at the point where the noxious air isconducted to the filter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The detailed description below is for preferred embodiments and isintended to explain the current invention. It is to be understood that avariety of other arrangements are also possible without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of the toilet ventilation system 10. Thissystem comprises a toilet seat 20, a removable filter 30, and a means ofinducing air flow, or fanbox 40. Toilet seat 20 is partially hollowhaving at least one entry point where air can be induced into andthrough toilet seat 20 and exit port 50 where filter 30 attaches. Filter30 attaches at its other end into fanbox 40. Removable filter 30 isdetachable at both ends, the end where it attaches to toilet seat 20 andthe end where it attaches to fanbox 40. This is one of the majoradvantages of the system in that the entire filter 30 may be easilyremoved and disposed of and a new filter put in its place.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, cross-sections of filter 30 are shown.At each end of these filters' 30 are couplings 60 and 70. Thesecouplings are configured to easily couple with the toilet seat 20 andthe fanbox 40. Internal to the filters 30 is the matrix 80 whichactually does the filtering of the air. This matrix 80 may be comprisedof different constituents including; activated charcoal, coated paperelements, treated batting, granular materials, and other such materialsknown in the art. The coated paper elements and treated batting would betreated with such chemicals as deemed effective for this application. Inthe case of granular materials, the grains may be lightly fused at theirsurfaces or constrained by clothe or paper pouches or otherwise held inlocation. In addition to that, the internal matrix 80 of the filter 30may be a single element stretching essentially from one end to the otherof filter 30, or it may be segmented with partitions 90. If the interiorof filter 30 is segmented by partitions 90, the individual chambers 100created by partitions 90 could comprise different types of matrices 80.Also partitions would not be a necessity to a matrix with changingcharacteristics. In addition to possible solid matrices mentioned above,the filter could be internally structured to form a liquid gas trap. Inwhich case the liquid would be of a nature to sterilize and treat theair bubbled through it in the gas trap.

Other structural alterations in the filter may include various valvearrangements. Since, on occasions, toilets become overfull with water,an air intake system may also take in water, float valves located withinthe filter would protect the fan box from water taken in along with theair. These work by having a float being lifted into a sealing positionby rising liquid. Such a valve could also serve as a safety back-up forfilters employing liquid gas traps. Petcock valves at each opening ofthe filter would provide means for sealing a filter before it isremoved, thus isolating the trapped contaminants and odors. Yet anothercommon type of valve which would be applicable are spring loaded valveswhich are biased closed when the filter is unattached. When the filteris installed, elements in the couplings of the filter hold open thevalve, allowing the flow of air. Removing the filter automaticallyreleases the valves for closure and sealing of the contents. In anotheralteration of the filter, if it is flexible enough, its ends may beformed to join with each other so that the filter may be sealed uponitself when removed.

Now looking at FIG. 4, the easy installation and removal of filter 30 isshown where the self-contained aspect of filter 30 allows it to behandled with minimal exposure of its contents, whether new or used. Nowlooking at FIG. 5, it can be seen with dotted lines where exit 50 fromtoilet seat 20 is connected to channel 120 within the seat also indotted lines. Located around the rim of seat 20, entry ports 110 allowair to go in and through seat 20.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show further details of entry ports 110 and channel 120of toilet seat 20 through the use of cross-section views. FIG. 6 showschannel 120 passing around the full circumference of toilet seat 20.Entry ports 110 are located periodically along the circumference ofchannel 120. Connecting the channel to exit point 50 is exit tube 130.This allows the air to pass from channel 120 to exit point 50 and theninto filter 30, eventually to exit fanbox 40. FIG. 7 shows across-section of toilet seat 20 perpendicular to the circumference oftoilet seat 20. It can be seen that channel 120 is connected to thesurface of toilet seat 20 by intake port 110. FIG. 8 shows across-section through toilet seat 20 at the point where exit to 130connects to the channel 120 and exit point 50.

In reviewing the figures, it can be seen that there are many ways wherea toilet seat can be made with a partially hollow interior and variousentry and exit possibilities for exit points. The important feature isthe ability to interface with an easily interchanged or easily removedfilter. Likewise, the means of inducing air flow, generally representedby a box, may be any device known in the art and suitably adapted tothis particular use.

Having provided detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment, itshould be noted that there are several means to vary the specific sizingand arrangement but still accomplish the construction of the invention.It should be obvious from this that there are numerous embodimentssubsumed in the present invention and the scope of this invention shouldnot be limited by the discussion of the preferred embodiment above.Neither the specification, nor the abstract, should be taken as anexhaustive illustration of the invention.

1. A toilet ventilator apparatus, comprising; a) a seat, said seat beingat least partially hollow; b) at least one point of entry to saidpartially hollow seat; c) at least one point of exit from said partiallyhollow seat; d) a hose having a first end and a second end; e) a filterpositioned within said hose; and f) a means for inducing air flow,wherein; g) said first end of said hose is detachably connected to saidpoint of exit, h) and said second end of said hose is detachablyconnected to said means of inducing air flow.
 2. The toilet ventilatorapparatus of claim 1, wherein; a) said seat is pivotally mounted to saidtoilet, and; b) said exit is located proximate to said mount.
 3. Thetoilet ventilator apparatus of claim 1, wherein; a) said seat ispivotally mounted to said toilet, and; b) said exit is located coaxialwith the axis of said pivot.
 4. The toilet ventilator apparatus of claim1, wherein; said filter comprises granular particles.
 5. The toiletventilator apparatus of claim 1, wherein; said filter comprises achemically treated paper substrate.
 6. The toilet ventilator apparatusof claim 1, wherein; said filter comprises chemically treated batting.7. The toilet ventilator apparatus of claim 1, wherein; said filtercomprises activated charcoal.
 8. The toilet ventilator apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein; said filter comprises a liquid gas trap wherein theliquid in said gas trap is antiseptic.
 9. The toilet ventilatorapparatus of claim 1, wherein; said hose has float valves located ateach end to prevent fluid from flowing to said means for inducing airflow.
 10. The toilet ventilator apparatus of claim 1, wherein; said hosehas petcock type valves located at each end.
 11. The toilet ventilatorapparatus of claim 1, wherein; said first end and said second end ofsaid hose are compatible with each other to be joined with each other,closing said hose when removed.
 12. The toilet ventilator apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein; said hose has uni-directionally biased valves on eachend which are opened when attached to said exit and said means forinducing air flow and closed when unattached.
 13. A method of removingbathroom odor from a toilet bowl, comprising; a) drawing air through apartially hollow toilet seat; b) then drawing said air through aremovable filtering hose attached to said partially hollow toilet seat;c) and finally drawing said air through a means for inducing air flow.14. A toilet ventilator apparatus, comprising; a) a seat, said seatbeing at least partially hollow; b) at least one point of entry to saidpartially hollow seat; c) at least one point of exit from said partiallyhollow seat; d) a filter having an entry port and an exit port; e) ameans for inducing air flow, wherein; f) said entry port of said filteris detachably connected to said point of exit of said toilet seat, and;g) said exit port of said filter is detachably connected to said meansof inducing air flow.
 15. For a toilet seat ventilation system, aunitary filter, comprising; a) an outer casing; b) within said outercasing, means of filtering air passing therethrough; c) an entry portinto said casing; and d) an exit port from said casing; wherein e) saidentry port is detachably connectable to an air gathering element on saidtoilet; and f) said exit port is detachably connectable to a means forinducing air flow.
 16. An apparatus for retrofitting a toilet to removebathroom odors, comprising; a) a seat, said seat being at leastpartially hollow; b) at least one point of entry to said partiallyhollow seat; c) at least one point of exit from said partially hollowseat; d) a filter having an entry port and an exit port; e) a means forinducing air flow, wherein; f) said entry port of said filter isdetachably connected to said point of exit of said toilet seat, and; g)said exit port of said filter is detachably connected to said means ofinducing air flow. h) wherein said partially hollow seat is used toreplace the original seat of the toilet.
 17. A method of removingbathroom odor from a toilet bowl, comprising; a) drawing air through apartially hollow toilet seat; b) then drawing said air through aremovable filter unit attached to said partially hollow toilet seat; c)and finally drawing said air through a means for inducing air flowattached to said removable filter unit, wherein; d) said removablefiltering unit is wholly external to both said toilet seat and saidmeans of inducing air flow.